Sam's Club crowns another regional BBQ champ

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Lucky's Q took home the Midwest regional title in the Sam's Club National BBQ tour.

Based in Denver, Iowa, Lucky Q's competed with teams from Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota at the Aug. 4 regional event in Rockford, Ill.

"Nearly 5,000 barbecue enthusiasts came to the competition here in Rockford," said Scott Schelling, manager of the Rockford Sam's Club. "Being part of this competition gives Sam's Club an opportunity to share barbecue tips so anyone can become an expert griller. Whether you are cooking ribs, steaks, chicken or fresh vegetables, Sam's Club has everything our members need to grill simply delicious meals any day of the week."

Lucky's Q from Denver, Iowa is the second of five regional champions to qualify for the national championship to be staged Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Sam's Club home office in Bentonville, Ark. The Sam's Club National BBQ Tour kicked off local competitions in February in 31 states, where competitive barbecue teams battle for a spot in the national championship event.

"To first win our local competition was a thrill, and this is even more exciting," said Justin McGlaun, part of the Lucky's Q winning team, who has been competing for two years. "We are already looking forward to the national championship this fall. Iowa BBQ is so unique because the competition is so tough. Every team competing is trying to get one step ahead of each other all of the time. We can't thank Sam's Club enough for hosting these events and taking barbecue out of the backyard and into a festival atmosphere."

Who's Smokin' Now, from Benning, CA qualified in May at the Albuquerque, N.M. event, and three more regional competitions are slated in the coming weeks in St. Charles, Mo.; Hendersonville, Tenn. and Chesapeake, Va. A complete list of events is available at Kansas City Barbeque Society's "2012 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour" site and SamsClub.com/bbq.